The near-indistinguishable taste and texture of meat and mushrooms can be credited to a strange fact. In some ways, mushrooms are more like animals than plants. They do not employ photosynthesis; they "breathe" oxygen and "exhale" carbon dioxide. As a result, fungal proteins resemble nothing so much as animal proteins. In some Amazon tribes, there's only one word for both meat and mushrooms. And in the rest of the world there's a single word for both, too: delicious. Use the texture and savouriness of mushrooms to reduce your meat intake. It will save you money and reduce your calorie intake without sacrificing the taste and satisfaction you yearn for.